Bones: The Jeffersonian Institute Explained

This can be seen with Dr. Brennan’s squniterns, who often assisted her on cases she worked on with the FBI. It was sometimes hard to remember that characters like Wendell, Fisher, and Daisy were graduate students and were interning with Dr. Brennan to learn from her. Throughout Bones’ 12 seasons, it became clear that the Jeffersonian was more than just the lab, it was a landmark in Washington DC, even if audiences hardly saw anything other than the medico-legal lab.

Is the Jeffersonian Institute Real?

Can Audiences Visit the Real Jeffersonian?

While Bones fans would likely love to visit the lab where Dr. Brennan and her team worked, the Jeffersonian is not a real institution. The Jeffersonian is modeled after other museum institutions that house research centers. While many scientists, from forensic anthropologists like Dr. Brennan to entomologists like Dr. Jack Hodgins, perform their research and experiments at universities, there are some museums that are dedicated to furthering scientific advancements.

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Additionally, throughout Bones’ 12 seasons, audiences learned that there were other niche departments, including Egyptology, and ancient weapons departments. Audiences have even seen professors at the Jeffersonian restore old paintings, observe Egyptian mummies, as well as a model of a mastodon. It’s not entirely clear how large the Jeffersonian Institute is, what the exhibits are on display at the museum, and how or if they relate to specialists’ like Dr. Brennan’s ongoing research.

What is The Jeffersonian Based on?

Audiences Can Visit the Museum The Jeffersonian is Based On

While Bones‘ Jeffersonian isn’t a real place audiences can visit, the institute is based on the Smithsonian, which is also located in Washington DC. The Smithsonian has multiple museums and sites scattered across the DC area, and it’s not quite as centralized as Bones depicts the Jeffersonians to be. There are clear similarities that help audiences make the connection between the Jeffersonian and the Smithsonian.

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Dr. Jack Hodgins was known for his crazy experiments and he often “borrowed” exhibits from the museum part of the Jeffersonian to help him complete his work. Often, Jack’s experiments involve murder weapons, but there was one instance where he borrowed and took apart a piece of pop culture history. Hodgins once took Archie Bunker’s TV set from an All In The Family exhibit for an experiment. Visitors to the Smithsonian’s American History Museum in DC would remember that Bunker’s armchair from All in the Family is on display there, not his TV set.

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In Bones season 10, audiences actually got to see one of the Jeffersonian’s exhibits dedicated to J. Edgar Hoover, where controversial former FBI Director hid his shadow government conspiracy evidence in plain sight. While it’s likely that the Jeffersonian that Brennan worked at isn’t the same as the American History Museum, it wouldn’t be surprising to find a forensic anthropologist at one of the other Smithsonian museums like the Natural History Museum.

The Lab at the Jeffersonian Was Still Real (Kind of)

The Set Originated As a Filming Location

In the Boneheads rewatch podcast, Emily Deschanel revealed that the medico-legal lab that audiences see in Bones originated as a filming location at the California Science Center, the same place that has the rose garden where Agent Seeley Booth and Dr. Brennan would get married in Bones season 9. Deschanel explained that for the pilot of Bones, they filmed on location, but later the medico-legal lab was rebuilt on a soundstage for the rest of the show’s run.

Audiences can be glad to know that they can still visit some of Bones’ most famous settings.

One of the cool things about Bones’ lab set is that it was all practical, meaning that all of the rooms were actually connected, something that isn’t common on TV sets. Deschanel explained that an actor could walk from Dr. Brennan’s office up to the platform, then into Angela’s office, and so on, all without ever having to cut a take. This likely made the set feel more lived-in and more real. While it’s disappointing that the Jeffersonian Institute isn’t real, audiences can be glad to know that they can still visit some of Bones’ most famous settings.